


Someone to Watch Over Me, Part II

by TheEndeavorNetwork



Series: When You're Not Saving the World [6]
Category: DC Extended Universe, Man of Steel (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BAMF Lois Lane, Bullying, Gen, Self-Harm, Teen Romance, The Lanes live in Smallville
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:01:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24284800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEndeavorNetwork/pseuds/TheEndeavorNetwork
Summary: A continuation of the previous installment. Lois confronts Clark's bullies again.
Relationships: Clark Kent/Lois Lane
Series: When You're Not Saving the World [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/911232
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This bastard is going up whether it likes it or not! I started it in August of 2019.

“Lois!” Lucy screamed from behind the closed door, “Where’s my orchid sweater?”

“Did you check the floor?” Lois yelled back.

Lucy grunted, and the sound of her stomping footsteps receded. Lois turned back to Clark.

“I’ll give you the number of our hotel room once we get there,” she said.

He nodded. She smiled and hugged him.

“I’ll miss you,” she said wistfully.

“I’ll miss you, too,” he mumbled into her hair.

She pulled back and kissed him. The sound of Lucy’s footsteps returned. Lois felt a gust of air, and when she opened her eyes, Clark was gone.

“Didn’t find it,” her little sister said behind her.

Lois sighed exasperatedly.

“If it’s not in your room, it’s probably in the hamper.”

Lucy swiveled on her heel to bound away. As soon as she was out of sight, Lois ran over to the window and looked out. Clark was nowhere in sight.

~

“Aren’t the Lanes going on vacation over spring break?” Martha asked Clark as they drove toward the school.

“Yeah. Not Mr. Lane, though.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“He’s busy, I guess.”

“Hmm. Must be lonely, in that house by himself.”

Clark didn’t want to say anything bad about Mr. Lane, but from what Lois had told him, he probably liked being alone.

“You think you can survive a week without her around?” his mom teased.

He turned to the window and mumbled something incoherent under his breath, and Martha laughed. They reached the school, and she parked.

“See ya later.”

“Thanks, Mom. Bye.”

The building seemed abandoned. Clark’s footsteps echoed in the hallway. He headed for the library where his friend Mike was already sitting with their biology project instructions.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

They stared dejectedly at the instructions and the textbook for a while before drudging through the first set of calculations.

“My head’s gonna explode. I’m going to the bathroom,” Clark announced.

“Me too. I hate when teachers assign things over break. I just wanted to relax for a few days.”

They meandered to the nearest bathroom, wasting as much time as possible. Clark finished first and waited in the hallway for Mike. Out of sight, one of the outside doors opened, and a large group of people came in. He recognized their voices.

Panicking, he ducked inside a nearby classroom and shut the door. The faucet turned on in the bathroom. Clark willed for Mike to stay in there long enough for the football team to pass by. Their voices got louder, but they didn’t recede. They went into the bathroom. His stomach dropped.

“Hey, Mike,” Russell said with false friendliness, “What are you doing here?”

Mike hesitated before answering. “Project.”

Russell kissed his teeth. “That biology one? Pain in the ass. Which version are you doing?”

“Eyes.”

“Same as me! How far along are you?”

“Maybe a third,” Mike said, trying hard to sound relaxed.

“Me and Brad are kind of busy over break ‘cause of practice. You could help us out, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I knew I could count on you. That reminds me, actually…Hey, Brad?”

“Yeah?” said Brad.

“Do you remember the last time we saw Mike in the bathroom?”

“Uhhh…No.”

“Idiot. Last year, we were having a chat with Kent, and Mike here decided to snitch. Got us detention for a week. Would’ve been worse if it weren’t for Coach.”

“Oh, yeah! I think we kind of owe him for that one.”

“Exactly what I was thinking.”

“C’mon, guys,” Mike said, still trying to be calm, “That was a long time ago. I’ve been doing your homework. Can we just forget about it?”

“I don’t like having my reputation sullied in front of Coach.”

Clark’s hand was on the doorknob, but he was too late. A blow landed, and Mike cried out. Clark flung open the door and ran into the bathroom. Mike was hunched over a sink.

“Leave him alone,” Clark blurted.

Russell grinned like the Cheshire Cat and turned to face him.

“Speak of the devil.”

Three of the players grabbed Clark, one of them Brad. Russell punched Mike in the gut, and he crumpled to the floor. Clark’s instinct was to wrench himself free, but he remembered the last time he did that. He vividly recalled the sickening crunch of the other kid’s arm. For months, people had given him fearful and dirty looks, even in church. Though part of him felt that the guy deserved it, it hadn’t felt good to hurt someone – however incidentally.

Mike was looking up at him pleadingly. Russell raised his foot.

“Stop!” Clark screamed and writhed, but not forcefully enough to break free.

“Awww, Kent’s worried about his little buddy,” Russell said mockingly, “Won’t even throw a punch for him, though. Why don’t we pick up where we left off a year ago, huh?”

Russell jerked his head toward a toilet stall, and his friends began to haul Clark towards it. Memories flashed through his mind: Being dragged across the floor, his backpack yanked off and the contents dumped into a puddle of stagnant water, begging before having his head forced into the bowl, the screech of his fingernails against porcelain…

He felt his throat constricting as a wild panic consumed him. There was a concrete privacy wall sticking out to his left. His hands shot out and latched onto it. Laughter rang out around him. He gripped the wall even harder as they lifted him by his legs and pulled. The wall cracked around his fingertips. The paramount rule of the Kent household was to never leave physical evidence of his abilities, but he didn’t care. The only thing that mattered now was holding onto his last scrap of dignity.

“C’mon, Kent, let go!” Russell laughed.

They jeered, but it only made him hold on tighter.

“Russell,” a hesitant voice said, “Coach is waiting on us.”

“Yeah, and we haven’t even pissed yet.”

With the jerky motions of a frightened animal, Clark glanced back to see a few guys standing in the corner. They looked uneasy. Hatred flared up inside him. People like them were the real problem. Feeling sorry, but not willing to step in.

“The freak’s not gonna let go,” Brad said, “We need a jackhammer.”

Russell was quiet for a moment before caving in. “Fuck it, he’s not budging. Leave him. Probably pissed his pants anyway.”

They dropped him, then stepped over him and Mike and proceeded to use the urinals as if they weren’t even there. Clark didn’t let go of the wall.

“Catch you two later,” Russell said as they filed out of the bathroom.

Brad paused to kick the wall beside Clark’s hands.

“Everyone’s gonna know that’s you,” he sneered.

When they were all gone, Clark finally let go. Concrete dust covered his fingers. If this got back to his parents, he’d be dead. Mike winced and grunted as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

“Are you ok?” Clark asked anxiously as he helped Mike to his feet.

“You can’t fight back just once?” Mike croaked, holding back tears, “Just once, so they’ll leave us alone?”

His glare cut into Clark like daggers.

“I’m going home,” Mike said and limped out the bathroom by himself.

Clark stood there for a long time, staring at his hands. A strangled yell burst out of him as he dug his nails into his opposite palm.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Belated Snyder Cut Announcement Day! It's also my birthday.

Martha could tell something was wrong. Clark’s head was bowed, and his hands were buried deep in his pockets. He didn’t look at her, just stared out the window. When she asked how it went, he muttered, “Fine.”

After a while, she brushed a hand through his hair and asked, “You ok, honey?”

He didn’t answer, but let her touch him for a few moments before leaning his head away. She frowned, but decided not to press for now. When they got back to the house, he barely waited for the car to stop before he jumped out. Martha followed close behind him and caught up in the hallway.

“Clark?” He stopped but didn’t turn to face her. “What happened at school? You can talk to me.”

She hugged him, and he broke down. She consoled him, even though she didn’t know what she was consoling him about. Jonathan came down to see what the matter was. He stopped on the bottom step and gave Martha a questioning look, but she shook her head. It was several minutes before her son finally pulled away. She wiped the tears from his cheeks.

“Honey, can you tell me what happened?”

Clark let go of her to wipe his face with his right hand. She glanced down at his left hand, which was still in his pocket.

“What’s wrong with that hand?” she asked suddenly, and he froze, “You don’t usually do that.”

The flash of fear in his eyes gave her a reason to grab his left arm. He weakly resisted, afraid of hurting her. Martha gasped, and Jonathan quickly stepped down.

His hand was wrapped in tissue paper. Over the palm, it was soaked in blood and stuck to his skin. She gingerly peeled back the soggy material, revealing the narrow gashes underneath.

“How did this happen?” she demanded.

He didn’t answer.

“Who did this?” she asked more intensely.

Clark’s eyes flickered between his parents. He saw the cogs turning in their heads. As long as they’d known him, nothing had ever broken his skin.

He didn’t want to explain. He didn’t want to be gawked at or lectured to. He yanked his hand back and fled upstairs. Locking his bedroom door, he flung himself onto the bed and hid under the covers with a pillow wrapped over his ears, as if that would stop him from hearing them. He could’ve let the wound heal before she picked him up, but he wanted to feel the pain. He deserved it. He couldn’t protect one of his only friends. He was too weak, and he couldn’t control his powers.

His parents followed him upstairs and tried to get him to open the door.

“We want to help you,” his mom said shakily, “We can’t help you if you don’t talk to us.”

They waited some more.

“We’ll be right here whenever you want to talk. Ok?”

He didn’t answer. They left eventually. He tried to block out the sounds of their hushed voices downstairs and Martha’s crying. He didn’t come down for dinner. Lois called. Martha told her that Clark wasn’t feeling well and he’d call her back soon. The next day, he didn’t eat breakfast, either. There was another knock on his door at lunchtime.

“Son? I made you some sandwiches,” Jonathan offered, “If you want, I’ll leave them and go away.”

Jonathan returned half-an-hour later to find an empty plate on the floor. At dinnertime, Clark slowly descended the stairs and wordlessly took a seat at the table. No one spoke after saying grace, but his parents subtly watched him for the entire meal. He tried to do the dishes afterwards, but Martha shooed him away.

“I’ll do that, sweetheart. You can go upstairs.”

He went up to his room, but left the door open. Jonathan followed him and lingered in the doorway. Clark was sitting on his bed, fiddling with a string from his pillowcase.

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah.”

Jonathan sat on the bed beside him.

“So, what happened yesterday?”

“The usual.”

“Bullies?”

“They were hurting Mike, and I couldn’t do anything.”

“Do his parents know? Mike’s parents.”

Clark shrugged. Jonathan hesitated before speaking again.

“Did you hurt yourself, Clark?”

Clark was silent for a minute before mumbling, “Who else could have done it?”

On the stairs, Martha leaned against the wall and covered her mouth. Jonathan inhaled and rested a hand on Clark’s.

“I know it’s not easy for you. You have to go through things that me and your mother could never understand. But you can’t blame yourself when bad things happen. You can’t take it out on yourself.”

He turned Clark’s hand palm-up. There was no trace of a wound. He brushed his finger over the skin as if to make sure there was really nothing there.

“This isn’t the way to deal with things. You’re a good person. You don’t deserve to be hurt at all, not by anyone.”

Jonathan squeezed his hand, and Clark looked at him.

“Please don’t do that to yourself,” he said, voice trembling, “Please.”

Jonathan didn’t wait for him to respond before pulling him into a hug. Clark tried and failed to keep from crying again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still here and still posting...

Later that night, the phone rang. Martha started to get out of bed, but Clark was already running downstairs.

“I got it!”

The earpiece wasn’t even pressed to his ear before he said, “Hello?”

“Hi!” Lois said brightly on the other end.

He couldn’t help smiling at the sound of her voice.

“Hi. How was the trip?”

“As well as could be expected with a long drive and familial tensions running high in a stuffy car. Are you ok? Your mom said you didn’t feel good yesterday.”

“I’m fine now. I just had an off day.”

“What kind of ‘off’? You’ve never been sick.”

“I just didn’t feel great.”

“Huh.” She was suspicious, but decided to hold off on investigating for now.

They talked for an hour till her mom made her wrap it up.

“I’ll call you again tomorrow,” she promised.

“Ok. Talk to you then.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he whispered so his parents wouldn’t hear.

She giggled. “Bye.”

“Bye.”

There was silence on the line for a few seconds before she hung up first. He felt a lot better after talking to her. He wished that she was here, but it was better that she hadn’t seen him like this.

~

Two weeks passed before the fateful day of Lois’s return. Clark spent all morning baking a couple dozen cupcakes. He packed them up and rode his bike to the Lane’s house. Sam Lane answered the door. He didn’t look surprised to see Clark, but he didn’t look particularly pleased, either.

“Good afternoon, sir.”

“’Afternoon.”

Sam glanced down at the large bag in Clark’s arms. “What’s that?”

“Cupcakes.”

Sam’s eyebrow went up. “You make those?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Huh,” he grunted before stepping aside, “Come in.”

He walked down the hall, yelling, “Lois, that boy’s here!”

Clark waited awkwardly in the foyer while he waited for Lois to finish flailing around (by the sound of it) in her bedroom. From the living room, he heard Sam grumbling to Ellen about him. Lois took the steps two at a time and grinned when she saw him. Then, she jumped straight at him. She would’ve knocked him over if he was anyone else. She covered his cheek in kisses, showing her usual disregard for her parents. Clark almost pushed her off, but luckily, the inundation only lasted a few seconds.

“I, uh, brought you something,” he said.

Lois glanced down at the bag in his hands.

“I brought you something, too,” she said excitedly, “I’ll show you if you come upstairs. What’s that?”

“Cupcakes.”

“Shut up, you angel!”

She tried to kiss him again, but he dodged. Unfazed, she put the cupcakes in the kitchen, then dragged him up to her room. She closed the door behind her and jumped on him again, this time pinning him against the wall.

When they broke apart, Clark mumbled, “Uh, you got me something?”

“Yeah. Here.”

She picked up a book from the bed and held it out to him. It was a hardcover combined edition of _Animal Farm_ and _1984_.

“Wow, thanks! It’s beautiful.”

“I hoped you’d like it.”

“I love it.” He kissed her.

“I’ll ask if you can stay for a while,” she said, “Also, I have to try your cupcakes.”

They went downstairs to find the rest of the Lanes already consuming Clark’s gift. Maybe it was the sugar, but her parents let him hang out in Lois’s room (with the door open).

“So, what happened that day you weren’t feeling well?” Lois asked.

Clark should’ve known that he wouldn’t get off so easily. Lois was nothing if not persistent.

“Just the guys from the football team. Mike and I were at school to work on our project, and they jumped us in the bathroom.”

Lois was angry already. “And?”

Clark remembered her words from months ago. She told Russell and Brad that she’d come after them if they ever laid a hand on him again. He believed her then, and he doubted that her resolve had lessened. He couldn’t risk her getting hurt because of him.

“They just said things, you know? They were in the middle of practice, so they couldn’t really hang around.”

Lois stared at him intently, but he didn’t look away. He’d seen enough crime shows to know that avoiding eye contact was a tell.

“And that made you so upset that you couldn’t leave your room?”

“I’m just tired of it. I was depressed.”

She nodded. “Don’t pay any attention to them. They’re just assholes. You’re better than they’ll ever be.”

Clark was relieved. It seemed like he’d convinced her.

~

It was the first day back at school. The bell had just rung, so the football team was starting practice shortly. The equipment managers were already setting up. After several minutes, the players started filing outside.

“Hey, dipshit!” someone called, and they looked around.

Brad grinned when he saw Lois a few feet away. “Hey, it’s ginger!”

“What do you want?” Russell asked in annoyance.

“I’m here to kick your ass, as promised.”

They laughed.

“Why, did your bitch boyfriend cry about how mean we were again?”

Brad smirked and stepped toward her.

“Listen, gin –“

Her right fist, which was wrapped in a bandage, connected with his jaw. The sound of the impact rang out through the crisp air. The next second, Brad was laid out on the ground. The onlookers gasped and cursed. Russell stared down at his cousin, mouth agape, then up at her. She stepped over Brad and punched Russell in the gut. He doubled over, and she took the opportunity to box him in the ear. He staggered back, but she pursued him and hit him in the abdomen repeatedly.

“Help me! Fuck!” he screamed at his friends.

They hauled her off and threw her to the grass. Russell seemed to have no qualms about hitting a girl now, as he kicked her furiously. The coaches rushed in, yelling at the boys and pulling them away. The assistant coach knelt beside her and asked if she was ok. She barely heard him over the sound of the blood pounding in her ears.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm being so productive tonight/this morning, wow.

Principal Elritch sat at a teacher’s desk with his hands clasped in front of him. His brow was furrowed in a performatively troubled expression. Sitting in front of him were three sets of families: The Lanes, the Kents, and the Wilsons. The parents wore a look of frustration and irritation, with the exception of Sam Lane who was smiling faintly in amusement. Lois looked unaffected with her arms crossed. Clark’s head was down, and he was fiddling with the tassels of his grey hoodie. Russell was scowling, like his parents. He had a black eye and a split lip.

Elritch cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses.

“Thank you all for coming today,” he said in a practiced tone, “I understand it’s not ideal for your schedules, but it’s important for us to resolve this issue. I’ve already discussed the circumstances with each of you individually, so I want to use this time, not to punish anyone, but to discuss and have productive mediation.”

“Excuse me,” blurted Mr. Wilson, “What do you mean, there won’t be punishments? That girl attacked my son! My nephew’s still in the hospital!”

Elritch held up a hand, looking stressed already. “I am aware of that, Mr. Wilson. If you’ll just give me a chance to continue. Obviously, Lois will face consequences for her actions, but I want to reserve that for the end of this meeting. Let’s just focus on mediation for now.”

He reached into his pocket for a handkerchief and dabbed at his forehead.

“Now,” he continued, “Lois, can you tell us the reason why you attacked Russell?”

“He’s a bully, and the administration isn’t doing anything about it,” she said flatly.

The Wilsons looked scandalized. Martha and Jonathan exchanged an impressed glance. Ellen looked about ready to melt from embarrassment.

Before her mother could stop her, Lois continued, “Every time he harasses someone, the coaches brush it under the rug.”

“Sir!” Ellen blurted, “She doesn’t mean any disrespect.”

She looked at Sam pointedly.

“She’s a good kid,” Sam parroted.

“This is a very tumultuous time for her,” Ellen said, “We’re constantly moving, and it’s hard for her to adjust. She’s not violent.”

Mr. Wilson scoffed, “Not violent? She had her hands wrapped like an MMA fighter. That was a _pre-meditated assault_. You’re lucky we don’t press charges.”

“Your _son_ assaulted my daughter!”

“He was defending himself!”

“Mr. and Mrs. Lane,” Elritch began, “Lois violated the school’s code of conduct. We can’t make excuses for her behavior.”

“Isn’t bullying also against the code of conduct?” Martha interjected.

Elritch blanched a bit. “Yes, Mrs. Kent, but we’re not talking about Russell today, we’re talking about Lois. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

“But isn’t Russell’s behavior the cause of all this? If he hadn’t been bullying our son for years, this never would’ve happened.”

Mr. Wilson broke in again, “You don’t have any proof that my son did anything. All you’ve got is that boy’s word. And he never had a scratch on him.”

He sneered at the last line, but it quickly faded when the Kents both shot him a dangerous glare.

“The only reason there’s no proof,” Lois said, “is because Russell beats up anyone who snitches on him.”

“Lois,” Ellen whispered warningly in her ear.

“He’s making kids do his homework, too,” she added.

“That’s a lie,” Mrs. Wilson blurted, voice cracking with anger, “You have no proof of that!”

“It’s true,” Clark murmured, and everyone stared at him. He was still looking down.

Martha spoke up again. “Every time we come to one of these meetings, it’s always the same thing. What’s going to be different this time?”

Elritch dabbed at his forehead again.

“Russell, can you apologize to Clark?”

Martha and Jonathan looked fed up already.

“Sorry,” Russell grumbled at the wall in front of him.

“And Lois?” Elritch said.

She looked directly at Russell.

“I’m sorry you’re not a better person,” she said, to which her mother responded with a stern outburst of her name. “And that I beat you up.”

“Ok,” Elritch sighed, “As always, the administration will be diligent about holding students accountable. Lois will be suspended for two weeks. Russell will have detention for four weeks. Clark, since you appear to have no active role in this, you can continue to attend classes as usual. Again, thank you all for coming. I appreciate your time.”

He stood up, as did everyone else. Ellen and Sam politely shook the principal’s hand, although Ellen didn’t seem happy. Sam impatiently herded his wife and daughter out the room.

“You’re lucky you didn’t get expelled, young lady,” Ellen chided, “What were you thinking, mouthing off like that?”

“He got off too easy,” Lois grumbled.

“I know, but we’re not talking about him!”

The Kents were quick to leave the room, as well.

“Every damn time,” Martha hissed.

“He’ll probably still be allowed to go to practice,” Jonathan said bitterly.

He put an arm around Clark’s shoulder. “You alright, son?”

“Yeah.”

The Wilsons stayed behind, whispering in harsh tones to the principal, who nodded placatingly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter

When Lois came back to school, she was nothing short of a celebrity, if a notorious one. A couple students high-fived her in the hallway. She found Clark by his locker before class. She hugged him from behind.

“Did I tell you how much I love this shirt?” she asked, patting the soft material on his chest.

He smirked, then turned around and pulled on his backpack.

“You can have it if you want,” he said before taking her hand.

“Maybe I’ll just marry you to acquire all your earthly possessions.”

“I don’t think I’d mind that, honestly.”

They walked arm-in-arm till they had to part ways for their respective classes. Clark had to sit next to Mike in biology. It was Mike’s first day back after missing school for a while.

“Hey,” Clark said nervously, “Are you feeling better?”

Mike nodded. “Yeah. I heard about Lois. Fucking awesome. Wish I’d seen it.”

Clark smiled a little. “Me, too…Listen, I’m really sorry about what happened.”

“Don’t worry about it. I get it. Besides, Lois got back at them.”

As admirable as Lois’s fervor had been, Clark wasn’t sure if her white-knighting was a solution or a road to more problems. He had to try harder to keep her out of trouble from now on.

“Yeah, she’s really something.”

Clark rode his bike home by way of the town. He planned to pick up a snack from the store. As he rode up the main street, he spotted Russell and a few of his friends sitting on the curb outside the diner. They saw him, too. Russell glared at him bitterly, anger seething in his eyes. No one spoke. No one even moved. Clark rode past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All done! (Till next time)  
> Comments are appreciated. :)


End file.
